I Broke My Toe




Actual toe pictured.  Arrows added for clarity, these do not occur in nature.

  Yeah, I did actually not only feel like I broke my toe but literally broke it also.  See picture.  Now, not only do I have to limp around the office until it heals, but I must do so in some sort of bizarre velcro post-op shoe monstrosity that the doctor said was the modern medical equivalent of strapping a board to the bottom of my foot.

How long must I wear it?  Three weeks, if it heals nicely.  This neatly solves the problem of "who will watch the youngest while we participate in the charity walk".  Me.  I will.  Becuase I cannot walk. . . only thump, drag, thump, drag, thump.  Like a pirate (see previous blog) or Mad-Eye Moody.

"What if I don't wear it?" I asked.  It turns out nothing much.  It may not heal as quickly.  it may not heal as nicely.  It may, opined the doctor, create an extra joint.  I tried to fathom what it would take to create an extra joint, and the mental image, of bone grinding itself smooth over time against another bone, didn't seem awesome to me.  So I'm wearing the stupid shoe. 

How long will it take to to heal?  The doctor indicated that his rule of thumb was 6 weeks to heal any simple break, and that the break should be immobilized for about 50% of that time.  So in an effort avoid creating a new joint utilizing the process I've imagined above, I'll wear the stupid shoe for three weeks and follow up with an orthopedic surgeon next week.